January 31, 2025
January 30, 2025
The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O’Connor
A secret group aids escapees from the Nazis to exit Rome during the final days of the Second World War. Real-time narrative alternates with recorded and written accounts to provide compelling impetus to this finely written novel.
December 16, 2024
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade
The murder of a dissolute socialite in a small town on Long Island, New York puts the rookie police chief and boyhood friend of the victim in a tight spot. Skillfully written with a wry, light touch sure to delight any reader.
December 16, 2024
Dogs and Wolves by Hervé Le Corre
An example of the best kind of hardboiled tough-guy fiction reminiscent of Hammett, Chandler and Spillane set in the countryside of a France most of us wouldn’t want to visit except in fictional form. Excellent writing and complex plotting provide a compelling read for fans of dark detective tales.
December 10, 2024
Tooth and Claw by Craig Johnson
Walt and Henry find adventure and proper peril in the Alaskan ice while walking a fine line between commercial oil and environmental interests, all menaced by the phenomenally frightening specter of a mysteriously savage polar bear.
November 15, 2024
The Bishop’s Villa by Sacha Naspini
Based on historical fact this tale of the conflicted motivations of the Italian people when it is clear the Germans will be defeated by the allies is powerful and moving. Lovers of historical fiction and world war two history will find it compelling.
October 23, 2024
The Half-Life of Guilt by Lynn Stegner
A complex and exquisitely well-written novel about sexual politics, environmental issues and the guilt each of us carries, deservedly or not.
October 5, 2024
Paradises Lost by Eric-Emmanual Schmitt
How our world came to be made is always a subject of interest and when that tale is told with skill, imagination and a great writer’s touch it becomes more than an epic novel: it bids fair to become part of the canon of western literature. Quick-paced and laden with detail as well as vivid characters and an enchanting story, this is a must-read.
October 4, 2024
The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan by Domenico Starnone
Unrequited love, youthful misunderstanding of the meaning of manhood, the vagaries of language and the errors of thought that can be brought about by the fog of self delusion combine to make a fascinating and interesting story of a life lived, if not well, at least interestingly.
September 22, 2024